Life's Treasures
by Yuka Hasumi
Summary: Will Wolfram's dearest secret memory bring Yuuri closer to him? Or will it just drive them apart? Yuuram.
1. Chapter 1

**It's literally been years since I last wrote anything, whether it's Kyou Kara Maou or anything else. What sickens me is that it's not as though I haven't had any time recently, nor was it that I didn't have any ideas; it was actually because I didn't know if I should continue my neglected fics first or start a new one before my idea was taken. Also, now that I have decided to start a new fic first, I have no idea how to start it. Anyway, forgive me if it sucks, but I'm writing it the way I want to.**

_**Disclaimer : I do not own Kyou Kara Maou. I also do not own Squall Leonhart from Final Fantasy. I'm just using him as a person in this fic. Squall will probably be nothing like himself in this fic.**_

**.:Life's Treasures:.**

Gentle winds caressed porcelain cheeks. It felt good. Cooling. Nostalgic. Wolfram felt the grass around him blow slightly in the breeze. He brushed against the empty space next to him, remembering a situation that occurred right at that very spot just a few years ago. A sad smile found its way to his face.

_No, don't go thinking of that now. _He had to stop himself from getting back on that train of thought. He's been down that road far too many times. _For now, just relax and enjoy yourself. By yourself. All...alone. Damn, this isn't working._

Getting up from the grassy grounds, he dusted off some imaginary dust from his spotless uniform. His white mare stood patiently by a nearby tree, hoofing the ground slightly at the realisation that her master was probably ready to make a move. Sure enough, Wolfram walked towards the steed and pet her lovingly on the forehead.

"Come on, girl," he whispered "Let's go home."

He swiftly got himself onto the saddle before getting hold of the reins and directing his horse back towards the castle. As soon as the horse trotted a few steps, it was gently halted by the blond. The white creature turned its head to watch her master stare back at the grassy hill where he had been laying for half the day. The tree that was providing his shade was casting longer shadows now that the sun was beginning to sink into the horizon. Used to this behaviour by now, the mare made a small, somewhat understanding noise.

Journeys like this one weren't often, nor were they on the verge of ceasing. It was almost as though everytime the mare was just about to forget the route and routine of these trips, Wolfram would take her on one. Another few silent minutes passed. It was almost sunset, yet Wolfram would never stay to watch one. The hillside was a perfect place to watch the sunset. This hill in particular was probably more special than all the others combined.

_And yet..._

Right on cue, as the grand sun began to show signs of its departure, the blond pulled himself together, turned away from the hill, tree and sunset and rode his steed steadily back to the castle. Nothing particularly special about this trip; it was almost exactly the same routine. It was that time of year again. Wolfram von Bielefield would take a break from his regular duties. Training his troops. Patrolling the borders. Doing paperwork. Chasing his fiancé around the castle for things that he himself _knew_ couldn't have happened.

"Yuuri..." he breathed. A battle was waged inside his head if he should quicken his pace home. Today. Today of _all_ days. Yuuri was coming back from Earth. A small sigh escaped the golden-haired beauty as he slightly urged his mare to move a little faster. It wasn't as if it really mattered. It wasn't as if Yuuri would notice if he was there to welcome him back or not.

_Argh... but still-! _The soldier began to rush his now rather confused steed. The autumn sky was quickly darkening and knowing Yuuri (and everyone else for that matter), even _he'd _start wondering where Wolfram was. Another sad smile. Was this really going to be the only way that Yuuri would really notice him? In any case, not being around to welcome your King after he had returned from anywhere would be a great insult. Even if Wolfram didn't care how Yuuri'd react to his disappearance, he shuddered to think what Gwendal would do to him.

**KKM**

"This is...odd." Gunter commented to the dinner table "Usually whenever Little Lord Brat goes out by himself, he still has the courtesy to join the family for dinner. It's already dark out and there's no sign of him."

"Gunter!" Gwendal stared.

"But, Gwendal! Surely it is absolutely unacceptable to be absent from a dinner with our wondrous King who has just returned from what must have been an exhausting journey between worlds!"

"Gunter," Yuuri tried to calm things down "It's really no big deal to travel from Shin Makoku to Earth, or vice-versa. Seriously. It's quite a quick trip, you know."

"Ah... Your Majesty! Such sublime understanding and forgiveness! You truly _are _our nation's King!" the silver-haired man gushed.

Conrad finally spoke up as Yuuri started scratching the back of his head sheepishly. "Your Majesty."

Yuuri quickly stopped scratching himself and gave his godfather 'The Look'. Conrad caught it soon enough. "Yuuri," he corrected himself, as sick as everyone else was with the 'You named me after all' speech. "Even so, is it all right for us to wait until Wolfram returns before we can begin dinner? Are you hungry?"

Before the double-black could even answer, Gwendal burst out, his vein throbbing "Of course, we will wait for him! The _King_ should learn to anticipate someone else's presence! We cannot have you thinking that everyone will spend their lives waiting on your every wish, even if you _are _the King! Try thinking about others for a change!" he finished, having enough of seeing his baby brother spend hours waiting for his fiancé, but never receiving any acknowledgement for it.

The huge wooden doors to the Dining Room opened suddenly to reveal a rather exhausted blond beauty. The room went silent. Truth be told, everyone but Yuuri knew why Wolfram went out in the first place. Still, no one expected him to be absent from Yuuri's little 'Welcome back to Shin Makoku' party. Slowly closing the doors behind him, Wolfram made his way to the round dining table, where everyone else had somewhat snapped out of their trances and had begun to gather for a long awaited dinner.

Yuuri took his usual seat next to Wolfram's, still unsure of what had just happened. He decided to let it slide as he picked up his spork and started eating the Shin Makoku style steak on his plate. His eyes couldn't help but wander towards the blond next to him. Wolfram chewed _really_ slowly. In fact, it seemed somewhat slower than usual. His jade eyes looked tired. Unfocused. Uncaring. It was as though he had something on his mind.

_I wonder what's going on in that head of his... _Yuuri wondered. _Did he leave something back wherever he went just now? Wait... HEY! He didn't greet me like everyone else when I came back from Earth! Where... was he? _It then hit him that everyone at the table had the same look on their face as they ate in silence. Something was up, and he knew he had to find out what it was before he said or did something inappropriate and got into trouble. He slowly put his spork down and sat up straight as he tried to start a conversation with Wolfram.

"Uh..." he began expertly "So... Wolfram. Where did _you _go today?"

Somewhere around the table, a few utensils fell and hit the table and floor. The clanging sound of it was almost deafening from the silence that hung in the air. Wolfram swallowed and looked Yuuri in the eye, somewhat emotionlessly.

"I went to visit a friend." He answered simply.

Gwendal and Gunter exchanged worried looks. Conrad continued eating. Though they tried to make it look like they didn't care, nothing else seemed more important right now than finding out what was to come. No one ever asked Wolfram that question during this time of year because everyone already knew. They mentally smacked themselves for not enlightening Yuuri before about this matter, but now it was too late. They could do nothing but watch.

"Oh, your friend!" Yuuri replied, oblivious to the tension he was creating in the room "How are they doing? Are they coming to visit?"

Gunter turned green.

"Well, he... He's doing fine, I suppose. He can't visit, so that's why I went to see him instead."

"I see!" the double-black was all smiles. This was going well. "Was it a fun visit? Did you all have fun together?"

Gwendal turned white.

Wolfram paused briefly, remembering that during his visit, he had reminisced about the old times quite a bit. He smiled, "Yeah... It _was _fun."

_He's smiling! I made Wolfram smile! This is going great! _"Cool... I wanna meet your friend too, Wolf! You should've waited for me so we could go together!"

Conrad continued eating.

Wolfram's smile faltered slightly, but he managed to hide it in time before replying, "I'm sorry, Yuuri. I'll bring you next time, alright?" No one ever followed him to meet his 'friend'. Wolfram was happy that way. Then, no one could do anything if he were to do anything embarrassing. Gwendal and Queen Cecilie used to go with him, but not anymore. Gunter went with Giesela just last week. Everyone went at their own time.

Yuuri smiled back at his fiancé. Honestly, he didn't really bother to think that Wolfram could have friends. Wolfram never mentioned any of them, nor did any of them try to contact him. As far as he knew, that is. Satisfied that he must've relaxed the room considerably, he continued eating his dinner. Wolfram watched him eat for a while, his smile still plastered in place. Gunter and Gwendal managed to recover slightly from their bout of sudden face-colour change.

Dinner ended on a surprisingly somewhat lighter note. After bidding goodnight to one another, everyone adjourned to their bedchambers. Wolfram followed Yuuri back to their room. Greta was having a sleepover all the way in Cavalcade with Beatrice and wouldn't be back for some time. There wasn't really a reason to sleep in Yuuri's bedroom right now other than the fact that his things were already all in his room.

Still, Yuuri had gotten used to this over the years. This time next month, he would've been in Shin Makoku for 3 years. Endless nights of battling with a determined Wolfram only exhausted him. It was simply easier to just give in to the blond whenever he was like this. Marriage, however, was a completely different topic. All these years and he still hasn't found the guts to break up with Wolfram. His best friend. How could one possibly put their best friend through so much pain?

After changing into their nightclothes, they crept under the covers and finally got the lie down and relax, though still being ravaged by their thoughts. Yuuri turned his head to watch his fiancé blinking his eyes sleepily, as though trying not to give in to sleep too soon. The King chuckled softly to himself. Even small, mundane things like this could make the blond turn it into some sort of self-competition.

It didn't take long for Wolfram to fall asleep. It had been a long day, and a tiring journey. Yuuri watched in amusement at the blond's somewhat defeat to the power of sleep and fatigue. His eyes travelled down to his companion's form. Slim, strong, fragile. Lately, he had been feeling like all he wanted to do was protect Wolfram to the very end. Whenever the end decided to show up. All sorts of feelings began to surface everytime he just looked at Wolfram. Perhaps he was coming close to a decision on what he should really do.

Onyx eyes travelled back up to the blond's neck. Something reflected the moonlight just above the collar of Wolfram's thin, silky nightgown. _A necklace? When did he start wearing a necklace? _Curious tanned fingers carefully reached out to the shimmery chain and brought it as close as he could to himself to examine the pendant.

_What is this...? A curve? A hook? _A closer look revealed some Shin Makoku language characters intricately engraved into the silver pendant. _I can't read any of these... well, if it's a name, it's definitely not mine. Or Wolfram's for that matter. I wonder if I should even ask him about this tomorrow. _

The blond stirred gently in his sleep. Yuuri's fingers released the pendant almost immediately. It would be an odd position to be caught in. In any case, it wasn't going to be long before Wolfram would start punching and kicking anything on the bed. He might as well get whatever sleep he can now.

_And I'll find out more about that pendant tomorrow. I still have the feeling that something big is going on and no one's telling me about it. Well, we'll see how it goes. _Yuuri stifled a yawn as his eyelids grew heavier. "Goodnight, Wolfram..." he whispered. The blond gave a grunt in response.

Tomorrow's another day, and one he won't waste.

_**To Be Continued…**_

**I'm stopping this here. I'm sorry for the ending and such, but as I mentioned before, I'm writing this the way I want to. I just hope you'll like it. Squall Leonhart will be properly mentioned in the next chapter (probably). Please review! Thank you!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello, one and all! Thank you all so much for your wonderful reviews and alerts! I hope I can keep the pace going with this chapter. Here is Chapter 2…**

**.:Life's Treasures:.**

Morning brought surprise and suspicion upon Yuuri as he realized that Wolfram was no longer in bed. _That's odd; he's usually still sleeping when I get up for my run… _After a few minutes of searching their bed chamber and bath chamber, the double-black had to admit that his fiancé just wasn't around. Trying to put it out of his mind, he quickly got dressed and dashed to the courtyard where he usually met up with his godfather.

Before, during, and after his daily run with Conrad, not once did he see nor pass a shimmering gold mop of hair. His blond tempest was nowhere to be found. It was no good. Even though today's jog seemed a little more strenuous than it normally was, all he could think about amongst his heavy breathing and panting was nothing but Wolfram.

Something else clicked in his now tired mind. Why exactly, was today's jog more strenuous than usual? _Wait… Wolfram's pendant! Maybe Conrad knows something about it! I wonder if I should ask him about it. He hasn't talked much all morning. What the heck is going on that no one will tell me about?!_

Yuuri decided to try his luck anyway. He desperately wanted to know the reason for everyone's previous behavior at dinner. The discovery of Wolfram's pendant kept telling him that it played a part in this whole scene. A scene where Wolfram was the leading man and Yuuri was guy who cleaned up afterwards. Badly.

"Conrad," he began slowly. The brown-haired man was drinking some water out of his flask. Indeed, he hadn't even realized that his pace was that much faster today. They were both on the verge of exhaustion. Surprised that his godson had addressed him so suddenly, he stopped replenishing his bodily fluids and gave Yuuri his full attention. And yet, he had a sinking feeling that filled him with dread.

"Yes, Yuuri?" came the reply.

"I was wondering, last night I found Wolfram wearing some kind of pendant when he was sleeping. When I looked at it closer, it reminds me of a hook or a curve or something. And there were these Shin Makoku characters engraved in them, but I didn't recognize any of it. I can't even remember if he's been wearing it all this time, but well… What do _you_ think about it?" he took a deep breath after his explanation.

And there it was. The sense of dread was right. Conrad paled at the question, even though kept his cool during last night's intense dinner discussion. Yuuri's description of the necklace was perfect. There was no mistaking it. Wolfram's pendant had to be the same as the one he… All those years ago… It was back to haunt him…

"Conrad?"

Yuuri's curious voice broke his thoughts. All the memories from that time came rushing back, crashing onto him like a gigantic tidal wave. No, he kept it up for all this time; he was not going to lose himself now.

"About that pendant you mentioned…" Conrad had to answer Yuuri somehow "I've never heard of it."

"Ah… really?" Yuuri felt somewhat crestfallen. _I was so sure he would know something about it. Oh well, I guess I'll just ask Gwendal or Gunter later. Wait… speaking of those two…_

"Conrad!" he asked again, though suddenly thinking that it was a bad idea. Conrad's expression had changed dramatically. He had never seen his godfather in such a way. Dark. Emotionless. On the brink of anger… What happened?

"Uh… n-never mind." Something was wrong. Very wrong. Conrad seemed to have noticed that Yuuri was getting worried and snapped out of his trance so he could converse with his now somewhat suspicious godson.

"No, no… Ask. What do you want to know, Yuuri?" Conrad knew he was digging his own grave, but still, to have the King of Shin Makoku not trusting him would be an extremely bad thing. He needed to ensure he still had Yuuri's trust. Whether he truly deserved it or not.

Yuuri was beyond confused. He was almost scared. He could not even begin to fathom their current situation. Yet, there Conrad was, asking him to continue his barrage of questions when quite clearly, the brunet didn't want to answer.

"Ah, well…" the King had to start somewhere. "Could you uh… tell me… what exactly happened last night at dinner? Why were Gwendal and Gunter acting like that? And Wolfram… he seemed different. Did something happen that I don't know about?" _Of course something happened; please don't lie to me about that, Conrad. I just want to know what's going on… I want to help._

Conrad looked back at the teen's nearly desperate expression. He breathed a silent, almost undetectable sigh of relief. Yuuri wasn't asking him _that_ question, because he didn't even know anything about it. This was his chance to steer the conversation away from the pendant.

"Yuuri, it's just that Gwendal feels that you haven't unerringly been acknowledging that people's lives actually do revolve around you. And personally, I don't think that he was talking about himself."

"What do you mean?"

"I think, that he was specifically referring to Wolfram."

"Wolfram? But why-"

"Hours, Yuuri!" Conrad cut him off. He understood precisely how Gwendal felt. "The instant we get word that you're coming back from Earth, Wolfram abandons all his duties and rushes to the fountain to wait for you. Sometimes, you don't arrive for hours on end, and still, he waits. But what Gwendal absolutely cannot forgive is that when you finally do arrive, you don't acknowledge him at all. Sometimes, you even ignore him completely."

The double-black found himself comparing the huge pebble he was rolling around with his shoe to the growing lump of pure guilt in his throat. Conrad was absolutely right. How could he not have noticed that he was putting Wolfram though this all this time? No wonder the blond was acting different. After 3 years since the day they met, Yuuri suddenly doubted that he did anything that truly made Wolfram happy. Oh god…

Conrad decided to continue. "When Soushu was defeated and you left Shin Makoku 'for good' after the portal closed, Wolfram spent all his time waiting by the fountain, watching the water for any possible, miniscule sign of your return. He attacked anyone who tried to tell him that you weren't coming back. It took several weeks for him to finally admit to himself that it was no use. He wasn't quite the same after that until the day you actually _did_ return."

Yuuri's heart panged. He couldn't even bear trying to imagine the pain Wolfram went through just to divulge that waiting for him was pointless.

"Wolfram…" Yuuri muttered. He wanted to see him. He wanted to hold him tight and never let go. He wanted, now more than anything, to make it all up to Wolfram. Yet, how could he earn to even face the blond after all that Yuuri had put him through?

He couldn't stand it. The pain in his heart was overwhelming him. He tried to think of something else. Something popped up in his head; a small glimmer of hope that could at least temporarily put Wolfram's misery out of his mind. There was something else he wanted to know.

"Conrad" _This would be the last question for now, I swear _"Who exactly did Wolfram visit yesterday?"

_This isn't good. _Conrad had to think fast. _This dialogue is starting to move back to __**that**__ topic!_ Still, the brunet settled on telling Yuuri certain, carefully thought of information. The importance of Yuuri's trust in him, after all, was as high as ever.

"Every year around this time of autumn, Wolfram goes off alone to visit his… 'friend'. I believe he mentioned it to you when you asked him last night?"

"Well, I _know_ he went to visit a friend, but what I'm asking is… well, _who _is that friend?"

"He was- He _is _possibly Wolfram's dearest friend. They've known each other since childhood. He'd travel all the way from the Leonhart territory just to see Wolfram. They… they are very close." Conrad's face showed an odd mixture of remorse and disgust.

Yuuri could tell that this was a bad topic. But he had to know. He had to find out everything he could about Wolfram before he made any more stupid mistakes. He was getting the feeling that his godfather wasn't telling him the whole story. But that could wait. He could ask Gwendal later. He just needed to know one more thing.

"You said he came from the Leonhart territory… What's his name?" There it was again. The dark expression on Conrad's ever-paling face. The brunet drew himself to his full height before answering:

"Squall. Squall von Leonhart."

"Squall, huh…?" Yuuri looked up at his guardian, only to see that he was busying himself by packing up their things. The double-black congratulated himself on getting this much information. Evidently, this was a bad topic. His suspicions on that were confirmed every time Conrad answered his questions. This mysterious… Squall von Leonhart… Did something happen big happen?

"Yuuri." Conrad broke his thoughts. "I'm going back to the castle. I have duties to perform, as do you, I'm sure." He smiled a winning smile. Yes, it's good like this. Just stay calm. Yuuri would trust him for sure. And yet, he saw that his King was staring at him with strange eyes. "Yuuri?"

"Conrad…" the teen began "you don't seem to like this Squall von Leonhart…"

It was a statement, not a question. Brown eyes narrowed almost dangerously at it. Quite swiftly, Conrad turned his back on Yuuri and proceeded to march up towards the castle steps, leaving the rather stunned monarch behind. The winds that were once so cooling on his face started to blow slightly stronger, imitating what was blowing so coldly in Conrad's heart. The brunet's answer to Yuuri's final question was almost lost in the howling winds.

"You don't even want to know."

**KKM**

Wolfram let himself relax in the royal bath chamber. He breathed out a small sigh of content. The water was calming the tension in his muscles. His mind drifted back to last night. For some reason or another, he found that he could not sleep too well after dinner's occurrences. Getting up before Yuuri today was a rare treat. He had watched his wimp of a fiancé sleep for a while before getting up and getting a head start in his duties.

His pendant floated on the surface of the hot bath water, dancing in the tiny ripples in front of its blond owner. Wolfram smiled at the pendant. It was an odd little thing. Though it looked like it was made of silver, there it was, floating on water as though its density didn't matter at all. All these years he wore the pendant, it never ceased to amaze him. It was in fact made of a special, atypical element. The metal itself acted as though it was a living thing. It was loving. Loyal to its owner. Wolfram had never seen anything like it prior to getting it.

Receiving it… from Squall.

Fair fingers gently closed around the freely floating pendant and pulled it towards his chest. His heart; where it belonged. After a few moments of feeling its cool touch against his skin, he hesitantly pulled it away and examined it. The pendant didn't show any signs of age. Even after letting it float in the hot bath water, it remained cool to the touch. It looked and felt exactly the same as it did the very day and moment he first touched it.

Touched it…

The intricate engravings at the side of the metal were still there. Wolfram ran his thumb softly against it, wondering if he could know what it meant just by touching it, as though he never knew what it meant in the first place. The sunken engravings felt like Braille against his skin.

"Squall…" he breathed tenderly.

"Wolfram?"

The blond dropped his pendant the moment he heard Yuuri call his name through the steamy bath chamber. The curious metal resumed floating on the surface of the bath water. Wolfram turned his head to face his fiancé, only to find that he was clad in a white towel, holding a small wooden bucket of bath things.

The double-black smiled at the sight before him. "There you are… I've been looking for you all morning! Where have you been?" he asked the blond as the wooden bucket was set down beside the bath. Wolfram could do nothing but stare back at him.

"Around the castle, wimp. Just carrying out normal chores and duties, like I'm _sure _You've been doing as well..." the jade-eyed soldier answered, yet he couldn't help but wonder exactly why Yuuri was supposedly 'looking for him all morning'. Pale arms that were previously crossed over Wolfram's chest involuntarily relaxed. Could there be a chance after all, that his fiancé was finally coming to terms with his feelings?

Yuuri's smile widened at the familiar pet-name. He hadn't heard Wolfram call him a wimp for ages. "Mind if I join you?" He winked at the confused blond.

Wolfram quickly pulled himself together before retorting half-heartedly: "It's not as though I can stop you now, can I?" He closed his eyes and fought a smile as he felt the water around him shift as Yuuri entered the bath.

"Yikes, Wolf! How can you stand having the water so hot?! It's gonna scald us both!" the King exclaimed. "If I wasn't almost used to this sort of temperature from my ofuro back in Japan, I wouldn't dream of getting in here!"

"It _has _to be this hot for me, Yuuri. My element is fire, so if the water temperature is anywhere below this, I won't be able to get much of a hot bath."

"That's… pretty insane…"

The blond snorted slightly at the accusation. The two sat in silence as the water lapped against their skin. Yuuri began to shampoo his hair, occasionally taking a peek at Wolfram, who did nothing but watch his pendant do the ballet in front of him. Yuuri's eyes widened. The pendant!

As he was trying to string good enough words together to inquire his fiancé on the floating piece of silver, two jade orbs stared him straight in the eyes. Wolfram stared at his somewhat startled King for a brief moment before speaking softly.

"Yuuri?"

"Y-yes, Wolfram?" he gulped.

"Could you pass me the shampoo?"

Onyx eyes blinked in confusion before realizing that the blond was simply asking for permission to wash his hair. Feeling stupid, he grabbed the white bottle and handed it to the waiting soldier. Yuuri watched as his blond beauty frothed up his golden locks in what seemed like perfect slow motion.

_Preeeeettyyyyyy….. _The brunet barely stopped himself from drooling. _Pull yourself together, Shibuya! _

And yet, those royal midnight eyes never left the show in front of them.

**KKM**

-_Sigh_-

Gunter von Christ brushed a few fine strands of long silver-lilac hair out of his eyes. He read the name in the page of the book he was reading once more. He hadn't seen that name for a long time. Still, last night's almost-fiasco brought up fond memories as well as the urge to dig up some old books.

He turned the page of the old book and found that familiar name again when he heard a soft, but firm knock on the heavy wooden door of his office.

"Gunter?" came a deep voice from behind the door.

The advisor's ears perked up at the voice. He straightened himself up before replying, "Come in."

The door opened slowly, revealing a very disconcerted Gwendal. He made his way to the table where Gunter was going through the tones of old books that he had taken from the library. A dark grey eyebrow cocked as Gwendal realized just how many books there actually were; his previous worries momentarily forgotten.

"Just what were you doing in here?"

Gunter chuckled a little as he recognized the skeptical tone hinted in Gwendal's voice. Odd… he hadn't heard that tenor in a while. He was starting to miss it.

"Well, I _was_ preparing for my lesson with His Majesty later, but since I had some time to spare I thought that I could maybe find something here and bring up some new information during our class." _Provided His Majesty decides to come quietly this time…_

"I… see." Gwendal strode past the silently weeping silver-haired advisor to peer out of the window. The sun's rays felt warm against his frowned face. A tall apple tree stood out in the garden below; its golden leaves blowing in the autumn wind. A sad smile found its way to Gwendal's face. Such happy memories took place there.

"Something on your mind, Gwendal?" Gunter's voice broke his thoughts.

Gwendal sighed, pushing away the memories that were rushing back at him for a while, "I just wonder how Wolfram is taking in what happened at dinner."

"Ah, that."

"How could you have missed informing His Majesty about Squall von Leonhart?! I thought that you were supposed to cover 'The Formation of The Ten Territories' with him as part of Shin Makoku's history? Then perhaps last night's close call would not have happened!"

Gunter huffed. "It is not as though I have not _tried _to teach His Majesty everything that I, as his Royal Advisor and instructor of our nation's customs, was supposed to teach him! I cannot possibly be blamed for this!"

"Well, of course you can! I have been through quite a few of your lessons, Gunter! You do not seem to have the flair needed to bring people back, wanting to learn more! It would not kill you to incorporate some interesting facts during your classes!"

"How dare you, Gwendal! Absolutely _everything_ about Shin Makoku, its customs, culture and history, is interesting! I, for one, am sure that I need not inject anything into my lessons that could possibly mar its wonderful truth!"

Gwendal von Voltaire brought his palm to his forehead, attempting to soothe the dizzying ache ravaging him. There was just no winning against this man.

**KKM**

Wolfram ducked his foamy head under the hot bath water. It was about time to rinse; the shampoo just didn't seem to be lathering up any more foam and bubbles. Wolfram never liked having to be under water. It was just too opposite his fire element and it made him feel extremely uncomfortable.

Brilliant green eyes opened and immediately felt the slight burn of the hot water. He remembered the first time he managed to see underwater; the sense of self-pride was delightfully overwhelming. His silver pendant seemed to follow him under, appearing in his line of vision.

_Squall…_

A thought came to the beautiful blond's head. Perfect pink lips parted, semi-scalding water rushed into Wolfram's mouth. _If I just… breathe in for a while… I might be able… _

_To see him again._

Water now rushed down Wolfram's throat and trachea. His chest felt tighter with every underwater breath he took. The pain in his chest was unbearable. He subconsciously wrapped his slim fingers around his neck, trying to ease the twinge that was spreading to every part of his body. He felt dizzy. _It won't be long now…_

Wolfram glanced upwards. He had never realized how deep the bath was. Sounds and noises from the water filled his ears, but he could not decipher any of them. He felt the last of his consciousness leaving him slowly. Pale lids slid shut over Wolfram's jade-green orbs._ Was everyone's death destined to be such slow torture? _A teardrop parted from his eye and blended with the water around him.

He felt his entire body being forced upwards. Cold air attacked his every exposed bit of skin. But it definitely was not cold air that was making him lean over. And it was not cold air that was literally beating the wind and water out of him, for sure. Almost immediately, Wolfram began to cough up all the soapy hot water that had entered his body.

The jade-green eyes opened again and looked up to find a very worried Yuuri carrying him in his arms. The King was dripping wet, the both of them now clearly void of any foamy bubbles on their hair. As soon as he realized that Wolfram was looking at him, Yuuri relaxed slightly as he pulled the blond into what he hoped was a comforting embrace. Their bare skin pressed against each other. Yet, the monarch did not mind, not even for a second.

"Wolfram," Yuuri's voice shook as tears started to well up in his eyes, "are you okay? I was so worried when you didn't surface after such a long time."

The blond said nothing as he wrapped his slender arms around his fiancé's neck and returned the embrace. Yuuri had just saved him. Just what in Shinou's name was he trying to do before he was rescued? Wolfram buried his face in the crook of Yuuri's neck, feeling horrible.

"Yuuri…" was all he could manage.

The King held his Prince tighter at the vulnerable voice. Their hearts were beating together against the cooling silver pendant that was currently being sandwiched between them. Yuuri was getting frightened. He grit his teeth as his tears dropped onto Wolfram's shoulder and slid down his back.

_What on Earth is going on?! Please… someone please help me!_

_**To Be Continued…**_

**This has to have been THE LONGEST CHAPTER I have every written IN MY LIFE.**

**I actually wanted to name him Leon von Squall or something, but I read in another fic that 'Leon' was already taken, so… Anyway, by now, I'm sure many of you can guess the main points in this story, but I'm continuing this to the end! Till then, PLEASE REVIEW!**


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm sorry I took so long to update! I'm still trying to find a way for the story to flow smoothly enough. Anyway, like I mentioned before, I REALLY would've loved to have been able to name Squall as Leon von Squall, but the name Leon was already being used in another fic, and I didn't want to create any problems.**

**Here is chapter 3. :)**

**.:Life's Treasures:.**

_Inhale. _

_Exhale._

_Inhale._

Yuuri woke up soon enough and found the frail blond sleeping soundly in his arms. _Wait, what?_

The King tried to lift his head without waking Wolfram, who looked like he could have woken at any moment. Bright, warm sunlight streamed through the windows. It could not have been past noon. _Man, what a long day…_

Yuuri got a good look at the two of them on the bed before laying back down next to his fiancé. They were both roughly wearing their bathrobes. Yuuri's mind wandered back to the time they were holding one another in the bath chambers. What happened back there…?

Yuuri turned his head back to face the blond. Huh. That was odd. When did he exhale?

The brunet smiled. His _breathtaking_ fiancé. Of course.

**KKM**

He loved this. He never thought he would ever go around the castle giggling like a love-sick girl. Yuuri cared not. Lying in bed with Wolfram in his arms only confirmed his newfound feelings towards the blond. The brunet mentally laughed and cursed himself at the same time. To think that just last night, he was having brief thoughts about ending their engagement. As of right now, he could not think of a way to thank Shinou enough for not allowing him to part with his fiancé.

Yuuri's smile widened. He couldn't remember the last time he felt this happy. His confusion about this whole betrothal was finally cleared. He knew what he wanted. He knew what to do. Finishing the previously half-eaten sandwich he held in his hands as he walked down the hallways of Covenant Castle, he looked around to see if anyone was around. Only one sleepy-looking guard stood by a nearby doorway.

_Seriously, we should have better security in the Castle… No wonder Wolfram complains so much. _Yuuri sweatdropped a little as he pushed the old wooden doors open and quietly snuck in. It seemed like such a long time since he had last been down in the old Storage Room. Dark, dusty relics greeted him as he walked through the aisles of old and musty library books and treasures. None of them got his attention for long. He already knew what he was searching for.

The ancient Demon Sword Morgif stood in its perch, snoring loudly. _You know, Morgif, I'd like to take you out of this place once in a while, but… I think I'll let you continue your never-ending fight with the dust-bunnies for today. _Hoping that he wouldn't wake it, Yuuri tiptoed as quietly as he could towards the relic that stood on another pedestal not too far away from Morgif. No, it was not the Demon Sword that the double-black was searching for. It was the Demon Mirror.

The antique blue and white bowl trembled slightly as the King of Shin Makoku's fingers edged cautiously towards it. Yuuri watched the bowl reacting to the Maou's powers in trivial fear. He never quite understood the powers and mechanics behind this antique. Finally taking the bowl in his hands, the trembling finally stopped. Slowly, but surely, the King hid the relic inside the seams of his royal coat and rushed out from the old, musty storage room. It was starting to really creep him out.

**KKM**

-_Yawn_-

Golden lashes reflected the noon sunlight as they fluttered open to reveal sleepy jade eyes. Wolfram awoke to find his bed-partner missing. It was not the first time, but still…

_Typical_, Wolfram snorted as he sat up and relaxed back into his large pillow. His mind drifted back to his and Yuuri's little 'Bath-Incident'. A smile found its way to his perfect face. _Trust that wimp to pull off a stunt like that._ He remembered the feeling of Yuuri's arms wrapping themselves tightly around his fragile body. How strong they were. How protective.

The soldier scratched his blond locks in slight confusion despite his still smiling smile. Yuuri has been acting strange since last night. Poor kid was probably so baffled about his sudden disappearance just to see a friend._ Someone should really explain to him one day_, Wolfram sighed. He didn't want it to have to be him, though.

Yuuri's schedule ran quickly through Wolfram's mind. He had already memorized it after years of watching his fiancé being forced to do the same mundane routine day after day. An imaginary candle lit in his head. Surely, Yuuri should be having his lessons with Gunter about now.

_That means…_

Wolfram got up and got dressed before setting off to find his fiancé. He sighed again.

…_the wimp must be hiding somewhere far away from Gunter's classroom._

**KKM**

Yuuri panted in exhaustion the moment he managed to conceal himself in the Music Room. Of all things, Gunter had spotted him coming out of the Storage Room and had begun chasing him all over the Castle in classic Gunter von Christ fashion.

For some reason, no one seemed to use the Music Room much nowadays. Yuuri used to be in this room a lot whenever Greta and he used to be an audience for Wolfram's musical performances. The Prince had zero talent in painting, but his talent at conquering that piano more than made up for the lack of painting skills. It would feel like everything in the world would just stop whenever Wolfram played. There have been times where people would forget to even breathe.

Everything in the room seemed dustier than he had remembered. Yuuri vaguely recalled Greta complaining some time ago that she wanted to try other things than keep listening to Wolfram play the piano. Wolfram had such an odd mixture of disappointment and acceptance on his face. It hurt everyone to see him like that, but that was how kids were. They could only stay interested in something for so long.

Yuuri snapped out of his flashback mode. That's right. This was all supposed to be about Wolfram and finding out everything before something disastrous happened. He couldn't have that happening now. Not when things was finally looking up between them.

_I was supposed to ask Gwendal about everything first, _Yuuri sighed to himself, _but at this rate, if I don't hurry, I might get caught again._

He carefully removed the Demon Mirror from his coat and looked at it. A new thought came to him. This relic could send him to basically anywhere in the past. But to where, or rather _when_, did he need to go?

The double black closed his eyes and scratched his head. Was he really ready to do this? It all seemed to be happening so quickly; the discoveries of Wolfram's pendant, his new feelings towards his fiancé, and that ever mysterious Squall von Leonhart.

Yuuri opened his eyes, his face set and determined. He had to do this. And he had to do this _now._ He took a deep breath and stared at the center of the Demon Mirror before realizing that he had no idea whatsoever on how to use it. _Crap…_

**KKM**

"Yuuri!"

Wolfram's endless calls echoed noisily through the Castle yet again. Though its tenants were already more than used to this kind of thing, news of last night's event had spread like wildfire, making everyone eye the blond Prince curiously.

Green eyes ignored the stares from everyone, especially nosy maids and guards who were surely having some sort of bet that was determined by his relationship with Yuuri. _Idiots._ Wolfram continued to make his way through the castle when he was suddenly interrupted by a hysterical looking Gunter.

"Wolfram!" the advisor gasped "Have _you_ seen His Majesty?"

"You're asking _me_? I thought he should be uh… having lessons with you?" the blond tried. Of course Yuuri wouldn't be studying if he could help it, but as much as Wolfram couldn't stand Gunter, he couldn't bring himself to truly tell the silver-haired advisor how much people couldn't stand his classes. He just wasn't _that_ intentionally cruel…

"Arghhh what do we do?! We are long overdue for our wondrous lesson on the Formation of the Ten Territories! … Ah!" Gunter halted his speech.

"The… Ten Territories?" Wolfram's eyes widened at the mention of it. Such a sensitive topic it was for him.

Gunter watched the Prince for a moment before calmly replying, all previous panic forgotten as he regained his advisor-like air. "I really am sorry, Lord von Bielefield, but you know as much as anyone here how important it is to make sure that His Majesty is informed about this subject. I only wish that we managed to teach him about this before last night's dinner." _Gwendal was right after all…_

Wolfram's eyes softened almost sadly. "Yes… I understand."

The silver-haired man breathed a sigh of relief. "That is good. However, we do have more grave matters at hand. I did see His Majesty just now, but he appeared to be sneaking out of the old Storage Room! Ahh what could His Majesty _possibly_ want with something from that place?!"

The blond cocked his eyebrow in skepticism. "Yuuri did? Are you sure?" _Man, that wimp is __really__ acting weird…_

"I am absolutely sure of it. Besides, I did say he was _sneaking_ out, did I not? Indubitably that must mean that His Majesty must have snuck something out?"

"What would Yuuri want with something from _that_ place?" a blond eyebrow somehow rose even higher, "Ah, maybe it's just Morgif, Gunter… You worry too much." _It's annoying._

-BANG!-

"W-what the heck was that?!" Wolfram felt the ground momentarily shake as the waves from the deafening crash pummeled his ears.

"It's coming from over there!" Gunter summoned a few shocked guards and they raced towards the source of the sound.

Every door along the way was forcefully opened and its rooms checked until the search party reached the Music Room. As the opened the door they were quickly interrupted by another ear-splitting sound.

"Yuuri!" Wolfram cared not whom he pushed out of his way as he rushed to his fiancé's side and gathered the unconscious form in his arms. The double-black seemed to stare back at him with dusty onyx unfocused orbs. What was going on?!

"Lord von Bielefield." Gunter's voice called amidst the commotion. Frantic jade eyes turned to glare at the advisor before realizing what the latter was holding in his hand.

The Demon Mirror.

**KKM**

"Oww…"

Yuuri chuckled to himself in disbelief as he scratched his aching raven head. It actually worked. Yelling, 'I want to see Squall and Wolfram!' over and over again to an ancient inanimate bowl actually worked…

The Demon King got up and surveyed his surroundings. Yes, this was definitely not the present time that he was in. There were clumps of blue decorating the Royal Gardens symbolizing the season of Spring. Yuuri walked over to one of the patches and plucked a Conrad Stands Upon The Earth stalk and started playing with its blue petals.

"You're not supposed to just pick them, you know…"

_I know that voice…_

Yuuri turned his head so abruptly he was sure that his neck would have snapped if his luck had been any lower. Staring at him with an adorable bemused look on his face was none other than his own fiancé. Although, right now they hadn't even met properly, so he wasn't engaged to Wolfram yet… _My brain hurts._

Suddenly grasping the fact that this raven haired stranger was ignoring him on some level, the slightly younger-looking Wolfram grew agitated. "Hey, are you listening?" The blond rested his palms on his slender hips, waiting for Yuuri to answer.

"What? Oh, right…" _Crap… how did I get though this the first time?! I don't even know if what I __know__ happened last time already happened! Right…_ "Hi! I'm Shibuya Yuuri! You can just call me Yuuri! Nice to uh… meet you! Ahahaha…" _Ha…_

"I'll call you whatever I want,… _Yuuri_," Wolfram replied, his jade eyes narrowing. "What kind of name is that, anyway? You don't even look like you're from around here. No one I know has that sort of hair and eyes…"

"I… uh…" _Uh-oh… This is bad…_

"Now, now, Wolfram… You shouldn't be so judgmental. You've only just met this young man, haven't you?"

_Another voice…_

It was no one Yuuri knew. He watched as his future fiancé smile as he turned around and rolled his eyes mischievously at a tall man coming their way. His maroon uniform making him appear more regal.

"You always have to ruin my fun, don't you?" Never in his life did Yuuri ever think he would see _his_ Wolfram wink and act so playfully flirtatious towards another guy. Something boiled in the pit of his stomach. _Woah, where did __that__ come from…?_

"Well, _you_ have to learn better manners. I don't quite care what you've learnt up till now; you could do with a few more lessons." A smile appeared on his handsome face, mirroring Wolfram's as he now stood next to him "You know I could always teach you…"

A tinge of pink on Wolfram's cheek threatened to give away his carefully kept air of playfulness. "_You'd _like that, now wouldn't you?"

The man only smiled back at the embarrassed blond before turning his attention to a very bewildered Demon King and chuckling softly. "Excuse me. Here I am going on about manners to Wolfram here, when I've clearly forgotten my own."

He ran a hand through his dark hair and bowed slightly in olden Shin Makoku conduct. "I am Squall von Leonhart. Pleased to meet you, _Yuuri_." The maroon-clad soldier smiled happily. One can never have too many friends.

Strange… Yuuri was sure he'd seen and heard that kind of behaviour somewhere before… And yet, the only person he could think of that could've possibly matched this Squall von Leonhart seemed to be the one person that hated him the most.

_**To Be Continued…**_

**Oh my gosh-!! Squall's finally revealed and he's So OOC!! XD Forgive me! (If you can't picture Leon here, check out Squall Leonhart from Final Fantasy.. but don't bother too much about his personality, since he's Really OOC here.. :S )**

**I'm out of touch… Really, I am. :( But in any case, I just quite desperately needed to update something, especially since I have a month off from classes. Thanks for reading! And remember! Reviews do wonders for an author's self-esteem , as well as fuels their desire to update! God knows I need that… . :D**


End file.
